M
ft
PECEMDER i, 1901
The Commoner.
7
Tom Johnson "Broke" But Still Fighting
- Spectacular Career of Cleveland' Great Mayor-Newaboy, Rolling Mill Hand,
Street Railway Worker, Traction and Steel Magnate, Congressman, Mayor
if Vi U'J Jliqi If ipm,
Tom Johnson's broke!
Tho big-bodied, big-minded, big-hearted
fighter meaBured his strength with that of "tho
system" and "the system" won.
His wealth has at times been estimated at
$20,000,000, and now he Is uncertain about his
ability to maintain an automobile.
But "Tom" Johnson's spirit has not beon
broken. He lived in a cottage before. He can
live there again. He has struggled singlehanded
with the wolf of want. The animal can not
terrorize him now.
"I stiH have a thousand fights in me," is
his defiance to his enemies. His attitude is not
a disappointment to either his friends or his
opponents. Both knew the man. Both know
ho would fall with his face to the enemy.
There Is little doubt that Johnson's finan
cial difficulties may bo traced to the fight ho
has made to give Cleveland three cent fares.
It is probable that his total wealth has been
exaggerated, but there is no question that he
sacrificed a fortune in his battle against special
privilege. 1
Cleveland's mayor was born fifty-four years
ago. He-vcame from an old, and distinguished
KentuckyVfamily. One of his relatives was the
famous General Richard Mentor Johnson, the
slayer of Tecumseh. and afterward yice president
of the United States.
"Tom Johnson's father was a confederate
officer in thefoivil,war, and the overthrow of the
southern cause left the family, penniless. At
ten, "Tom" made his first money by selling
papers containing the story of Lee's surrender
to Grant. At .fourteen he was compelled to
work in a rdllltfg mill, and a Jfew months later
ho secured a Position Mth ' aJkouisville, Ky
Btreet ca M'mp&ny, which was' controlled by a
relative, Biejler.niah DuPont.
BUYING ins FIRST STREET OAR SYSTEM
About a year after his connection with this
enterprise bdgan, the DuPonts brought Colonel
Johnson, Tom's father, in from the farm and
made him superintendent of the road, a position
he held for several years. He left it to accept
an appointment as chief of police of Louisville.
The superintendency of the road was then taken
by Tom, who held it until 1876, when he and
two associates bought of "William H. English,
the democratic candidate for vice president of
the United States in 1880, the Indianapolis
street car system.
Before this, however, young Johnson had
invented a fare box; which was an improvement
upon the fare boxes then in vogue and is still
in use. He eaTly learned that patents are not
very effective in protecting Inventors, and of
this box and his -patent on it he was accustomed
to say that the patent wasn't very good but the
box was. However sound either judgment may
"have been, the box or the patent, or both to
gether, gave him first and last nearly $30,000.
But Mr. Johnson had not made all this
money before going into his street car venture
in Indianapolis. To buy that system he needed
$30,000 in addition to-nis own resources. This
sum was ' lent him by his friend and patron,
Biederman DuPont Mr. DuPont took no in-.
terest in the enterprise himself. He doubted the
business ability of Johnson's associates; But
he said he knew Mb money would be safe If Tom
L. Johnson lived. So he made the venture as a
personal loan. .
The Indianapolis system, a miserable affair
when Johnson took hold of it, improved under
his management, and became very profitable.
But he continued to operate without conductors
and withi mules for motive power. When lie
proposed modifying the system after electricity
had come Iqto use, some of his associates op
posed the change. They were old friends and
rather than offend them he sold out.
YOUNG MAQNA9CE MAKES A FORTUNE
He bad itfad monoy regularly since 1869,
though slowly aUfiret, and several tif Ms patents
as well aslhteifare-box bad bee profitable r but
the sale tof fhevviifdianapolls Street car system
yielded by faT the largeif sraiirhe"hadyet been
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Lincoln Stoffens, in his "Shame of
tho Cities," declared that Tom Johnson
was "tho best mayor of tho best governed
city in tho United States."
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able to call his own. HIa not. profit was more
than half a million dollars.'; ; , ,
Meanwhile, in 1880; Johnson had bought
a small street car line in 'Cleveland, which ho
had built up by utilizing a discovery ho had
made in Indianapolis thd financial advantage
of through lines and transfers.
Johnson's groat street railway war in Clove
land was with tho late Senator Mark A. Hanna.
Hanna was a director in the company with
which Johnson camo first in conflict. The pre
liminary round was won by Johnson, and to
prevent his getting a still stronger foothold
Hanna bought a controlling Interest in tho com
pany whoso privileges Johnson was attacking.
.
of Clovoland, and his partnor, Arthur J. Mox
ham, to show hlra any flaw In tho argument,
Unablo to. comply, they objootod to tho promises.
But Johnson convlncod them that tho promises
woro sounds Tho final result of thoir contro
versy was tho complete conversion of all throo
to Georgo's viows.
Johnson hns slnco tried to And tho con
ductor who turned him into this path, which
is more to. him than personal riches, but ho
can not recall hjs namo and has only boon ablt
to learn' that tho man Is dead.
Soon after his conversion, Johnson sought
out Henry George, and botweon these mon a
warm friendship and profound confidence took
root In 1885 which lasted until Georgo's death.
It was oh Henry Georgo's ndvico that John-
son ontored'polltlcs. - y
A MONOPOLIST FOUGHT MONOPOLIES"'.'
JohnWbn practically managod George's Hpo'c
tacular campaign for mayor of Now York and
, contributeA liberally to. tho groat economist's
pany wnoso privileges Jonnson was attacking, "campaign funds.
xiuin.ua uujuui. was 10 ugni jonnson more euec- ' -" in 1890 Johnson was elected to conarcUB
'from a Cleveland district as a democrat. Ho
was re-olected In 1892. and wont down to do
tlvoly than he might bo able to do with a minor
ity interest. Before fighting, however, ho pro
posed peace and a partnership . Johnson do-
clined the offer and a conflict then began which
lasted several years. A detailed accou'ht of this
conflict would bo as interesting as an ccoriomic
or business novel, but It would require a volume.
The war was the sensation of the time in Cleve-
land. It eventuated ,in a great reduction of -fares,
a policy in which Johnson always believed,
and which ho has always furthered.
Sometimes one side won, and somotimes
tho other, but Johnson's road grow faster than
Hanna's. After awhile Johnson succeeded in
uniting several other companies, thereby form
ing the Cleveland Electric Railway company,
or "Big Consolidated." Hanna replied with a
union of tho cable roads, forming tho Cleveland
City Railway company, known as the "Little
Consolidated." These consolidations resulted In
ending the fight, but it was an armed peace.
Subsequently Johnson disposed of his interest
in the Big Consolidated and that company
united with Hanna's.
By this time Johnson with his brother,
Albert, had acquired interests in the Detroit
street car system and in the Nassau enterprise
of Brooklyn. But In 1898, about the time the
large combinations were forming, bo withdrew
altogether from the street car business.
While engaged In .this business Johnson
became interested naturally enough In the pro
duction of steel rails, and in connection with
both businesses he co-operated with his asso
ciates, Biederman DuPont, A. V. DuPont' and
A. J. Moxham, in making useful inventions and
securing profitable patents. One of their steel
plants, the Johnson company, was at Johns
town, Pa., and another at Lorain, Ohio. In tho
depression of 1893-98 Johnson's financial inter
est in these establishments was very nearly
swamped.
JOnNSON BECOMES DISCIPLE OF GEORGE
While interested in street car systems, both
In Cleveland and Indianapolis, Johnson fro
quently rode on the cars between those cities.
On one of these trips a newsboy asked him Xxy
buy a book called "Social Problems." It was
Henry George's second book on the industrial
question, but Johnson supposed it to bo a work
on the social evil. Saying as much, and adding
that ho had no interest in that subject, ho re
fused to buy the book. The train conductor,
who happened to be within hearing, happened
also to be familiar with George's teachings, and
knowing Johnson well, he told him ho was mis
taken In the character of the book. "It will in
terest you more," he assured him, "than any
book you have ever read' Upon this assurance
Johnson reluctantly 'invested nair a aouar m uie
feat two yoard, later in a republican larfflalider
lie attracted national attention while a member
of the house by bis frank discussion of public
questions. He avowed himself a froo trader and -a
single taxor and the foe of monopoly1 In eVe'ry
form.
About the subject of monopoly Johnson,
took what seemed to men leas frank a curious
position. Ho was an avowed monopolist.
Once he camo near being committed for
contempt of court by insisting as a witness In!
answer to tho question as to his occupation,
that by occupation ho was a monopolist. Yet
ho opposed monopoly.
That seemed Inconsistent, and on one occa
sion in congress a trust lawyer, a member of the
house, said in debate that Johnson ought to vote
for the measures ho denounced as monopolies,
because he was himself a monopolist. Johnson
instantly retorted: "As a business man I am
willing to take advantage of all tho monopoly
laws you pass; but as a member of congress
I will not help you to pass them and I will
try to force you to repeal them."
In 1901 Johnson made his first campaign
for mayor of Cleveland, on a platform which
declared for municipal ownership. He was
elected and ho has been thrice re-elected. A
year ago his opponent was Congressman Bur
ton, one 6l the ablest Buckeye republicans.
President Roosevelt selected Burton to mator
tho race, and the street car companies of Cleve
land, assisted by the allied public utility monoid
olies of the country, raised an unprecedented
campaign fund. But Johnson's hold on the peo
ple could not be shaken. His majority wa
larger than ever.
Johnson's fight In Cleveland centered on the
city control of its street car system and the in
auguration of three-cent fares. He organized,
constructed and operated a municipal three-cent
fare system for which ho bad secured a fran
chise but his opponents succeeded In having tho
peopfe refuse to pxtend the grant beyond tho
probationary period. Then the road waa
thrown into a receiver's hands.
' Johnson Insists that his experiment would
have proved an unqualified success. If it bad
been given a fail' trial, but the people of Cleve
land had evidently wearied of tho atrugglfc.-
Denver News.
i ii
MR. ROOT FOR SENATOR
It is plain that Elihu Root will be United
States senator from New York If Mpssrs. Roose
velt and Taft have their way. Timothy L. Wood
ruff has withdrawn from the contest after a
vislt to Mr. Taft and Mr. Taft has Issued a!
statement In which he rormauy endorses Mr.
no
zr r a M.i if Lfn wnrlH wflq r vealed statement in wnicn ne lorraauy euore
hook and read if. '"m .n L incidentally It may be remarked that
rWo's "Progressiva Poverty." After reifc objection to Mr. Root's selection has com from
1 fng this? he I challenged his lawyer, L. A. Russell, nho .representative 'of tho great corporations.
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